Your Next Removal – Not Doing This Could Cost you 1,000s

When you are planning to undertake a major move abroad, to uproot your life and start all over again somewhere that you don’t know very well, it’s important that you keep your stress levels as low as possible, by using services you can trust and rely on. Not choosing the correct removal company could cost you thousands of pounds -but there is a simple way to ensure you don’t have any problems. It’s an aspect of the moving process that very few people really pay close attention to, but you should always make sure that you fully understand whether the company you choose has this or not. As you’re reading this you’re already ahead of the game, and you obviously want to make certain you do things right from the very beginning. Read on for a full explanation of why you should pay more attention to this vital aspect of your next removal.

We all know that moving is one of the most stressful times in your life, so anything you can do to make things easier for yourself has to be a good thing. The removal company you choose can go a long way to creating a stress-free atmosphere – in fact your choice of removal company is probably the most vital part of the actual moving process. Their professionalism, communication and punctuality all help to smooth the way, and can turn a difficult time into an exciting adventure.

A little mentioned component of a professional Removal Companies’ service is their comprehensive insurance cover, which protects both you and them if things happen to go wrong. With the best will in the world, we are all human, and sometimes things happen in life that are just out of our control. Adequate insurance cover is a vital part of making sure that, in the event of a problem or unforeseen event, you don’t suffer any loss of any kind.

When you really think about it, if you have insurance for all of your furniture and belongings at your home now, it seems to make sense to cover it during a move to another country as well. This insurance, taken out with specialist brokers dealing in the Removal Industry, is called Goods In Transit (GIT) insurance. It is specifically to cover your belongings whilst they are in the possession of the removal company, and it offers the same sort of cover as you would find in your home contents insurance policy. All good removal companies will have GIT insurance.

There is another insurance that is also important to consider when you are choosing a remover – public liability insurance. It covers a business against injury or property damage to the public in the course of their business activities. Whilst not compulsory, all good companies will also have this.

However, not all removal companies are created equal – some have GIT and public liability insurance, and some do not. Goods in Transit Insurance can be quite expensive, especially if European moves are to be covered, so you will find that it is one of the first things to be ignored by removal companies that don’t have their customers’ best interests at heart. Even if a company says that it has GIT insurance, it is a good idea to confirm this, as you don’t want to find out that have been ‘economical with the truth’ when things go wrong and you cannot then make a claim. The only way to be sure is if you actually see the Insurance Cover Note, and check that it is in date, as well as what the level of cover is.

You may often find that the company without Goods In Transit insurance is able to quote you a cheaper rate for the removal. Which is great……. until something goes wrong. You may be lucky and find that everything goes without a hitch. However, if something does go wrong, you will then find there is no insurance company to claim from. So you then have two options

Claim damages from the company/person, to get back the value of the furniture that is lost/damaged or broken. If they can’t – or won’t – pay, your only recourse is to sue them in a small claims court. And then you may find that the company/person mysteriously disappears, or they cannot be found, as you found them on facebook, and/or you only had a mobile number for them. Or if they are a Spanish based company, you can only deal with the problem through a Spanish Court, which could take years.

Just accept the damages and don’t do anything about it. Of course, this option does depend on how much, and what type of damage there is. And you’ll be kicking yourself for ages over penny-pinching when planning the removal at the beginning!

What price peace of mind? – that is the real question here. If you are happy taking a chance with the very cheapest service, with no thought to what may happen if everything were to go wrong, then all well and good. The chances of the company having proper insurance cover for your belongings is very slim. They are in it for the short term, and couldn’t care less about doing the best possible job for you, the client. A giveaway indication that your removal company may not have your best interests at heart is the age of their vehicles – if they are quite old, as well as the chances of breakdown being higher, it shows that they are not prepared to invest in providing a more reliable, as well as a greener, service for you.

Professional, fully insured service won’t be expensive, but the advantages in using a service that has recent vehicles, and that values your belongings like they were their own, far outweigh the small extra price you’ll pay.

Remember, always ask to see the Insurance Policy Cover Note. Any company that professes to have GIT and Public Liability insurance won’t have any objection to showing you that it has up to date and adequate Insurance Certificates.

As far as Indalo Transport goes, we have both Goods in Transit and Public Liability Insurance, arranged with Lloyds of London through a specialist insurance broker. As we believe in being fully covered for all eventualities, we also have Storage Cover for anything you may have stored at our sites in both the UK and in Spain. The confirmation of our cover is reproduced on our website here.

In today’s high stress world, it’s good to know there are some things about your move abroad that you can rely on, to help everything go smoothly and give you peace of mind.